Empowered Patient Podcast

David Bearss the Co-Founder, CEO and President of Halia Therapeutics, points out that despite traditional thinking, chronic inflammation is not just an unresolved acute inflammatory response. It has been discovered that a different pathway leads to the activation of this inflammatory response in diseases with components of chronic inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, COPD, psoriasis, IBD, and cancer. Their potential drug target is the NLRP3 inflammasome which has been identified as being associated with the activation of inflammation.

David explains, "We've gotten better and better at trying to narrow down on how we can block these inflammatory responses. But there's just been, in the past few years, a real explosion in our knowledge of what the root drivers of chronic inflammation are. At Halia, we're focused on trying to take out the root cause, not some of the downstream effects or the signaling molecules, but take out the responsible thing, the machine inside the cell that's activated, that's propagating these signals. If we can turn that off, we think we can get to the root cause of what's driving these problems and all these different diseases."

"It's just in the past few years that we've discovered that there are these cellular machines that get formed under the right conditions that help propagate or signal this inflammatory response. We call those machines inflammasomes, and there are five that we know of. There are probably a few more that are what we call non-canonical inflammasomes. But the inflammasomes have been a really hot area of research in lots of different diseases to try to understand how these protein complexes get formed inside cells and how they stay stuck on in chronic inflammation."

@Halia_Tx #ChronicInflammation #Immunity #Neuroscience #AlzheimersDisease #InflammatoryDisease #DrugDevelopment #Biotech

haliatherapeutics.com

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David Bearss the Co-Founder, CEO and President of Halia Therapeutics, points out that despite traditional thinking, chronic inflammation is not just an unresolved acute inflammatory response. It has been discovered that a different pathway leads to the activation of this inflammatory response in diseases with components of chronic inflammation, such as Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, COPD, psoriasis, IBD, and cancer. Their potential drug target is the NLRP3 inflammasome which has been identified as being associated with the activation of inflammation.

David explains, "We've gotten better and better at trying to narrow down on how we can block these inflammatory responses. But there's just been, in the past few years, a real explosion in our knowledge of what the root drivers of chronic inflammation are. At Halia, we're focused on trying to take out the root cause, not some of the downstream effects or the signaling molecules, but take out the responsible thing, the machine inside the cell that's activated, that's propagating these signals. If we can turn that off, we think we can get to the root cause of what's driving these problems and all these different diseases."

"It's just in the past few years that we've discovered that there are these cellular machines that get formed under the right conditions that help propagate or signal this inflammatory response. We call those machines inflammasomes, and there are five that we know of. There are probably a few more that are what we call non-canonical inflammasomes. But the inflammasomes have been a really hot area of research in lots of different diseases to try to understand how these protein complexes get formed inside cells and how they stay stuck on in chronic inflammation."

@Halia_Tx #ChronicInflammation #Immunity #Neuroscience #AlzheimersDisease #InflammatoryDisease #DrugDevelopment #Biotech

haliatherapeutics.com

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Dr. Tina Albertson is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Lyell, using cell therapy to fight solid tumors through epigenetic and genetic reprogramming methods. Tumors have their own mechanisms for suppressing the immune system. These are the types of pathways Lyell is targeting with their engineering to find ways to counter the exhaustion that the T cells exhibit so that T cells can stay functional and kill the solid tumor cells.

Tina explains, "Our cell therapies are from the patient's own cells, so these are what we call autologous cell therapies. We take the cells from the patient and bring them, in our case to Seattle, to our manufacturing facility. We both genetically and epigenetically reprogram them during manufacturing so that the cells will be resistant to the suppressive microenvironment of the solid tumors."

" I think most people are familiar with the concept of stem cells, which can self-renew as well as make cells that are functional and can differentiate. So when we reprogram them, we make them more stem-like, and this allows us to infuse cells into the patient that should be more persistent and more functional."

"The second product we're also testing in trials is tumor infiltrating lymphocytes or TILs. This is a product where you need a piece of their cancer or their tumor and extract the T cells from the tumor itself. That requires surgery, then a piece of tissue is also sent to our manufacturing facility. Those T cells are extracted and expanded. That takes a little bit longer. But similarly, once those are expanded to the right cell number, we send them back to the site to be reinfused into the patient."

#Lyell #CellTherapy #SolidTumors #Oncology #Cancer #TCells #TCellExhaustion #AutologousCellTherapy

lyell.com

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Dr. Tina Albertson is the Chief Medical Officer and Head of Development at Lyell, using cell therapy to fight solid tumors through epigenetic and genetic reprogramming methods. Tumors have their own mechanisms for suppressing the immune system. These are the types of pathways Lyell is targeting with their engineering to find ways to counter the exhaustion that the T cells exhibit so that T cells can stay functional and kill the solid tumor cells.

Tina explains, "Our cell therapies are from the patient's own cells, so these are what we call autologous cell therapies. We take the cells from the patient and bring them, in our case to Seattle, to our manufacturing facility. We both genetically and epigenetically reprogram them during manufacturing so that the cells will be resistant to the suppressive microenvironment of the solid tumors."

" I think most people are familiar with the concept of stem cells, which can self-renew as well as make cells that are functional and can differentiate. So when we reprogram them, we make them more stem-like, and this allows us to infuse cells into the patient that should be more persistent and more functional."

"The second product we're also testing in trials is tumor infiltrating lymphocytes or TILs. This is a product where you need a piece of their cancer or their tumor and extract the T cells from the tumor itself. That requires surgery, then a piece of tissue is also sent to our manufacturing facility. Those T cells are extracted and expanded. That takes a little bit longer. But similarly, once those are expanded to the right cell number, we send them back to the site to be reinfused into the patient."

#Lyell #CellTherapy #SolidTumors #Oncology #Cancer #TCells #TCellExhaustion #AutologousCellTherapy

lyell.com

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Sam Lee is the Co-CEO and President of Cocrystal Pharma, focused on pandemic viruses and seasonal influenza to develop a drug that is cross-spectrum with a high barrier to drug resistance. Using computational data, as well as high-resolution X-ray data, their platform allows options for newly emerging viruses that also address potency and combination treatment options.

Sam explains, "We just completed the Phase I study. In the Phase I study, we demonstrated the favorable safety and tolerability of this compound, CC-42344. We designed this compound for pandemic and seasonal influenza A infection. Particularly, this compound is highly sensitive to the avian influenza strain, potentially an emerging pandemic strain."

"I think with antiviral drug development, you always have to think about three important things. One is the cross-spectrum, which covers the existing viruses. For example, in the influenza case, influenza H1N1, H2, and H3. And beyond seasonal influenza viruses are pandemic viruses, H5 and H7, and potentially emerging avian flu. So we want to cover all these viruses. That's a really important goal."

"Once you achieve good potency and cross-spectrum activity, then you want to solve the pharmacology. It's going to be a once-a-day drug with the excellent drug resistance. Drug resistance is a really key contribution using our platform approach. "

@CocrystalPharma $COCP #PandemicFlu #CC42344 #SeasonalInfluenzaA #Flu #Pandemic

CocrystalPharma.com

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Sam Lee is the Co-CEO and President of Cocrystal Pharma, focused on pandemic viruses and seasonal influenza to develop a drug that is cross-spectrum with a high barrier to drug resistance. Using computational data, as well as high-resolution X-ray data, their platform allows options for newly emerging viruses that also address potency and combination treatment options.

Sam explains, "We just completed the Phase I study. In the Phase I study, we demonstrated the favorable safety and tolerability of this compound, CC-42344. We designed this compound for pandemic and seasonal influenza A infection. Particularly, this compound is highly sensitive to the avian influenza strain, potentially an emerging pandemic strain."

"I think with antiviral drug development, you always have to think about three important things. One is the cross-spectrum, which covers the existing viruses. For example, in the influenza case, influenza H1N1, H2, and H3. And beyond seasonal influenza viruses are pandemic viruses, H5 and H7, and potentially emerging avian flu. So we want to cover all these viruses. That's a really important goal."

"Once you achieve good potency and cross-spectrum activity, then you want to solve the pharmacology. It's going to be a once-a-day drug with the excellent drug resistance. Drug resistance is a really key contribution using our platform approach. "

@CocrystalPharma $COCP #PandemicFlu #CC42344 #SeasonalInfluenzaA #Flu #Pandemic

CocrystalPharma.com

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Gabriel Mecklenburg is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Hinge Health, the leading digital clinic for back, joint, and muscle pain. Hinge provides personalized physical therapy plans by pairing digital and advanced motion-tracking technology with clinical care teams, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and board-certified health coaches. Recognizing the value of in-person care, Hinge is rolling out an in-home option to meet the needs of a wide variety of patients.

Gabriel explains, "Now, with Hinge Health, it's a digital program, and it's something that you can immediately access from the convenience of your home. You're getting an assessment of your condition right then and there. You can get started on clinically proven exercise therapy, education, coaching, PT type therapies immediately. It's a personalized, highly-tailored program for each individual, which, again, is very similar for a market-wide experience."

"We're excited to branch into what we call hybrid care, combining the best of both worlds of in-person and digital care. Our physical therapy house call service is a fully-integrated digital and in-person care experience for back, joint, and muscle health."

"The reason why we're pursuing this is that many Americans of all ages prefer to have an option of in-person visits alongside the digital health experience. In particular, for the kinds of conditions that we are tackling, in-person evaluations for joint and muscle pain can substantially enhance the experience and the quality of downstream digital care."

#HingeHealth #MSK #Musculoskeletal #DigitalHealth #PT #PhysicalTherapy #HealthandWellness #ChronicPain #HybridPT #VirtualPT #HomeHealthcare #HomeHealth

hingehealth.com

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Gabriel Mecklenburg is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairman at Hinge Health, the leading digital clinic for back, joint, and muscle pain. Hinge provides personalized physical therapy plans by pairing digital and advanced motion-tracking technology with clinical care teams, including doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and board-certified health coaches. Recognizing the value of in-person care, Hinge is rolling out an in-home option to meet the needs of a wide variety of patients.

Gabriel explains, "Now, with Hinge Health, it's a digital program, and it's something that you can immediately access from the convenience of your home. You're getting an assessment of your condition right then and there. You can get started on clinically proven exercise therapy, education, coaching, PT type therapies immediately. It's a personalized, highly-tailored program for each individual, which, again, is very similar for a market-wide experience."

"We're excited to branch into what we call hybrid care, combining the best of both worlds of in-person and digital care. Our physical therapy house call service is a fully-integrated digital and in-person care experience for back, joint, and muscle health."

"The reason why we're pursuing this is that many Americans of all ages prefer to have an option of in-person visits alongside the digital health experience. In particular, for the kinds of conditions that we are tackling, in-person evaluations for joint and muscle pain can substantially enhance the experience and the quality of downstream digital care."

#HingeHealth #MSK #Musculoskeletal #DigitalHealth #PT #PhysicalTherapy #HealthandWellness #ChronicPain #HybridPT #VirtualPT #HomeHealthcare #HomeHealth

hingehealth.com

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Dr. Paul Lammers, the Chief Executive Officer at Triumvira Immunologics, is developing personalized medicine to treat solid tumors using an autologous approach to arm the patient-derived cells with a vector that identifies and kills individual cancer cells. At the forefront of the next generation of immune-oncology, Triumvira uses the Cocoon Platform made by Lonza to automate this process in a closed system to grow and harvest the cells. The ultimate goal is to have this technology available at the point of care in regional cancer centers to allow this cell therapy to be used by more cancer patients.

Paul elaborates, "The challenge with T cell therapy has been can we also use cell therapy to treat solid tumors? And that's where we feel that with our technology, known as TAC, T Cell Antigen Coupler comes in. We truly think we have an opportunity here, so we feel we are developing first-in-class medications based on that new T cell engineer platform, the TAC. We hope to have an opportunity to focus on different types of targets in solid tumors that will address high unmet needs in cancers like gastric cancer and colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, and ovarian and endometrial."

"Our first program is in the clinic targeting HER2, which is a well-known target, especially for breast cancer and also gastric cancer. But we're expanding that. In the second half of this year, we're starting a first clinical trial targeting claudin 18.2, which is an exciting new upcoming target in different solid tumors, especially for gastric, pancreatic, and gastroesophageal cancer. Followed then in the next two years by new targets known as GUCY2C, which is a great target for colorectal cancer, and GPC3, a target for primary liver cancer. So it's an exciting time to build a broad and strong pipeline based on that TAC technology platform."

#Triumvira #TCells #TCellTherapy #TAC #Cancer #SolidTumorCancer #CellTherapy #BreastCancer #GastricCancer

Triumvira.com

Listen to the podcast here

Dr. Paul Lammers, the Chief Executive Officer at Triumvira Immunologics, is developing personalized medicine to treat solid tumors using an autologous approach to arm the patient-derived cells with a vector that identifies and kills individual cancer cells. At the forefront of the next generation of immune-oncology, Triumvira uses the Cocoon Platform made by Lonza to automate this process in a closed system to grow and harvest the cells. The ultimate goal is to have this technology available at the point of care in regional cancer centers to allow this cell therapy to be used by more cancer patients.

Paul elaborates, "The challenge with T cell therapy has been can we also use cell therapy to treat solid tumors? And that's where we feel that with our technology, known as TAC, T Cell Antigen Coupler comes in. We truly think we have an opportunity here, so we feel we are developing first-in-class medications based on that new T cell engineer platform, the TAC. We hope to have an opportunity to focus on different types of targets in solid tumors that will address high unmet needs in cancers like gastric cancer and colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, and ovarian and endometrial."

"Our first program is in the clinic targeting HER2, which is a well-known target, especially for breast cancer and also gastric cancer. But we're expanding that. In the second half of this year, we're starting a first clinical trial targeting claudin 18.2, which is an exciting new upcoming target in different solid tumors, especially for gastric, pancreatic, and gastroesophageal cancer. Followed then in the next two years by new targets known as GUCY2C, which is a great target for colorectal cancer, and GPC3, a target for primary liver cancer. So it's an exciting time to build a broad and strong pipeline based on that TAC technology platform."

#Triumvira #TCells #TCellTherapy #TAC #Cancer #SolidTumorCancer #CellTherapy #BreastCancer #GastricCancer

Triumvira.com

Download the transcript here